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PRESENTED BY" 



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WASHINGTON'S NOTE BOOK 



SELECTIONS FROM A NEWLY-DISCOVERED MANUSCRIPT 

WRITTEN BY HIM WHILE A VIRGINIA 

COLONEL, IN 1757 



Edited by 
VICTOR HUGO PALTSITS 

KEEPER OF MANUSCRIPTS 



NEW YORK 
PUBLIC LIBRARY 

1920 



3J^ 



'75"7 



016 ^ ^ 



Rl PKINILD. NOVLMUI-R 1030 

FROM THE 

niULlTlN OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC tIBRARY 

OF AUGUST. 1020 

PRINTTD AT THE NEW YORK PUBUC LIBRARY 

fc.riii p-iiT l\ i-i-:;ij ^ij 



WASHINGTON'S NOTE BOOK 



SELECTIONS FROM A NEWLY-DISCOVERED MANUSCRIPT WRITTEN 
BY HIM WHILE A VIRGINIA COLONEL, IN 1757 



Edited by Victor Hugo Paltsits 

Keeper of Manuscripts 



THIS small manuscript note book measures 7^ by 4^ inches, has 54 
written pages and 17 blank leaves. Ten of the written pages are not 
in Washington's hand and consist of "A Roll of the Artificers employed on 
the Works at Winchester, under the Command of Capt. William Peachy, 
w'** an Acco* of their lost Time" (9 p.), and "A List of men draughted from 
the Artificers to do Garrison Duty for a Time" (1 p.) . The rest of the writing 
in the note book is in Washington's style of handwriting employed for several 
years in the fifties and sixties, quite different from his earlier and youthful 
hand, and differing distinctly from his well-known handwriting of the period 
of the American Revolution and the Presidency. This note book was offered 
to The New York Public Library for the Virginia military roster above named 
and no relationship to Washington was then known or surmised. The dis- 
covery was made by me when studying certain of the written memoranda for 
correspondence, which showed unmistakably that they were the ideas set down 
by Washington before he wrote his letters to Governor Dinwiddie, the 
Speaker of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, Colonel Stanwix, and others. 
Conclusive identification was effected by a comparison of the writing in the 
note book with a photographed page (1755) from Washington's early letter 
books in the Library of Congress and has since been confirmed de visn by Mr. 
Worthington C. Ford, our greatest Washington specialist. 

This note book was used by Washington in 1757 when raising the two 
Virginia regiments during the last of the intercolonial wars with the French 
of Canada, and part of it contains his memoranda for correspondence while 
at Fort Stanwix. Several pages are filled with minute descriptions of the 
pedigrees, brands, and marks of his military wagon horses, named Nelly, 

[3] 



4 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Jolly, Ball, Jack, Rock, Woodfin, Prince, Buck, Diamond, Crab, etc. The 
following selections from the note book speak for themselves: 

SPECIMENS OF CORRESPONDENCE NOTES IN DIARY FORM 

8 June 1757. Get the Prices of all the Soldiers Cloth^ from Col° Car- 
lyle — with a reasonable advance; and give it to each Captain with Orders to 
examine his Company's necessary Roll once a Week (every Saturd^) with* 
Fail and to make stopages for every thing diffident besides punishing the 
Soldiers for neglect of Duty this to be done before they are paid — 

Order also that each Sergeant of a Com^' have a distinct Squad to take 
care of & to see that they always have their Cloth" & accoutrements in good 
Order — 

Ditto 8"^ 

Write the Governor [Dinwiddic] that Capt" Paris has got a Commission 
in the Maryland Force — That Gov'' Denny has sent Invitations to the Chero- 
kees to treat with him at Fort Loudoun in his Gov* & 

That I am apprehensive the diff* Colonies striving against each other must 
be bad 

That I have removed Capt" Stewart & Gists Company to this place & 
give him my reasons for doing it. 

To desire that he will direct me concerning receiving the Drafts. 

And in what manner the Company s of Rangers are to be Cloath^, Paid i& 
Com". 

Also know how far and in what points I am to pay Obedience to the 
Orders of CoP Stanwix & if it should so happen that I receive Orders from 
himself [Gov. Dinwiddiej & CoP Stanwix differing (which is not unlikely) 
whose Orders I am to Obey. 

Inform that Ma*" Lewis is come in inclose a Copy of his Letter — 

Also that Lieut* Williams & Ensign Dean have resign*^ their Commis- 
sions 

Send down the names of all the Subaltern Officers & Seniority — and 
advice that the reduced Capt"^ who may accept of Lieut^^ have their Com- 
missions antedated to give them Rank before the present Subaltern 

Recom*^ Sergeant Hughs for the Adjutancy 

Take care also to acquaint the Gov"" [Dinwiddiej ab* the bad Provisions 
at Fort Cumberland, that I apprehended M"" Walkers absence w*^ occasion such 



WASHINGTON'S NOTE BOOK 5 

Acc'' — that I caus'' M"" Walker to be inf ormd of it that he may give neces- 
sary Direct" concern^ it as I conceive the Loss will fall upon him — There has 
been foul play us*^ with it — 

June IS''' — Draughts. Not to receive any but what is fit for the Serv- 
ice, reject all that are old — Subject to Fits — and otherwise infirm. 

Keep Copy's of all the Receipts given for the Men. take exact lists of 
their Names — Countys they Come from hight age complection &c^ so soon 
as they are receiv^. 

Give the Officer who receives them a Copy of the Act to govern himself 
by Dont let him give receipts either for Arms Cloaths or anything else unless 
order'' so by the Act. 

The Gov"". 25"* [To Dinwiddie June 25th] I have not been able to 
send any Men to the S° Ward, y® Continual Alarms on this Quarter retarded 
it till y" News of y^ French marclr with Artillery and then it was judg'' quite 
imprudent to draw Men from a post so much expos''. 

I have wrote twice to Col° Stanwix ab' Arms, but he takes no notice 
thereof in his Letters to me from whence I imagine he is not inclind to fur- 
nish us with any — We shall want Arms much. 

Memmorandom of Sundry things to be done in Williamsburg if I go 
down in November — 

Get my acc*^ with the Governor & Commit[tee] settled — \\ - 

Lay the Indian Ace*'' before y® Gov"". \{ 

Get Copies of the Laws Martial — 

Take the Committees advise in regard to Hamiltons acc*^ \\ 

Try to have Cloathing sent for, for y^ Regiment. 

Carry down the Drafts rec*^ 

Also Capt" M^Neiles Indentures of Servants &"'* if it is necessary — 

Mostof y® Militia have been furnishd with Provision's by y^ Regimental 
Com'' which has been a means of enhauncing his acc*^ thise matters sh'' be 
settled; y® Militia w^ all have gone home had we not Supplied them their Offi- 
cers hav^ no Money or Orders & y'' Country People refusing them Credit. 

It appears that M'" Atkin has determind to prevent y*" Ind"^ from com^ 
to this Ouarter — 

Get some Tea — Hyson — 



5 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Endeavour to get some of the Stores in y° Magazine at Williamsburg 
sent up here especially a Mortar & Bomb Granades — look into y^ Magazine 

6 examine what things are there. 

Is all the Parties of Ind"^ to be furnishd with Ammunition from y^ Pub- 
lick Stores here. 

Represent the Inconvenience of not keeping Goods constantly at this place 
to make occasional presents. 

It is too late to provide Goods when there is immediate call for them — 

Money also shoud be lodgd with y^ Director of these Affairs to answer 
y^ Exigencies accruing — No Person is fit to be intrusted with y^ Managem* 
of Ind° Affairs who cannot be trusted with a little money 

It is indispensably necessary that an Assembly shoud sit this Fall to con- 
cert Measures in time — to execute before the Season is tO[0] far spent — 

Unless an Assembly sits this Fall we shall not have time to prepare against 
the Spring — Waggons Horses 8ic^ nor shall we be able to Assemble a Body 
of Indians without w"^ Scarce any thing can be done 

Unless Troops March out in y° Spring there wont be one Inhabit, left in 
this County — the People hav[ej been perswaded to wait y® Event of y® Spring 

If this County brakes y^ others will go (being much thinner settled) infi- 
nitely faster &. then an Army can never be supported. 

Lay Plummers Ace* before y® Country & Ex® [i. e. examine] their Books 
& see if Plummer never was p'' thro Carlyle or Gist 

'\\' Get a Blank Book for Acc'^ & an Almanack 

Lay Lieut^ Bullets Claim for a Horse before y'' Country, 



WASHINGTON'S RECIPE FOR MAKING BEER 

To make Small Beer — 

Take a large Siffer full of Bran Hops to your Taste. — Boil these 3 
hours then strain out 30 Gall°^ into a Cooler put in 3 Gall°^ Molasses while 
the Beer is Scalding hot or rather draw the Melasses into the Cooler & St[r]ain 
the Beer on it while boiling Hot. let this stand till it is little more than Blood 
warm then put in a quart of Yea[S]t if the Weather is very Cold cover it over 
with a Blank[et] & let it Work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask 
— leave the Bung open till it is almost don[e] Working — Bottle it that day 
Week it was Brewed. 



